braid video game review
Test: BraidThe Xbox Live Arcade contains many secrets: lots of dusty junk eradicated at low cost from a distant gaming past, some classics skillfully brought up to date by conscientious developers and respectful of the public, but also some new titles, out of we don't really know where. Braid falls into this latter category. Fresh, intelligent and poetic, the title of Jonathan Blow invites us to piece together a giant puzzle, lost in the meanders of time.
Beware young people, Braid is deceitful, Braid likes to deceive his world, Braid likes to surprise and venture boldly off the beaten track. Thus, if the luminous creation of Jonathan Blow first gives itself the air of a classic platform game, it is only to better mislead us. The gentle nature of Braid does not really appear until after a few minutes of play, when after having gamboled cheerfully in tables which evoke very pretty watercolors, a small enigma ends up standing in your way. However, before putting our little atrophied neurons back into operation, used to frags and tight turns, it is first necessary to take an interest in the context of this funny adventure. Braid introduces us to Tim, a little man in a suit whose memories are lost, scattered to the four winds in magical worlds where time is given over to the strangest antics, like a dead leaf tossed by an autumn gust. In the hero's mind, however, a single sinister certainty remains: his princess has disappeared because he, a poor fellow, has made a mistake. An error whose nature will not be revealed to us until after the sixth world. Then only remains for our gentleman to collect the pieces of the puzzle that form his failing memory with at heart, the hope of finding his beautiful. The story of Braid, endearing and melancholy, is revealed through small volumes available for consultation in the anteroom of each world. Without revealing too much, let's say that the tone surprises, just like the final, which as we mentioned above, is not content with commonplaces.
Tim's quest is therefore spread across a series of worlds born from fairy tales. They all look like tart dreams, and basically, going through them will take you very little time. But the real interest of the game does not consist in spinning like a rocket from one end to the other of the levels. To see the end of the adventure and access the final stage, you will need to conscientiously collect the various puzzle pieces distributed in each environment. These never hide, sit in plain sight, but almost always seem inaccessible. This is where it will be a question of soliciting your little cerebellum in order to be creative, as much as logical. The initial platform game aspect is actually quickly overlooked when confronted with the powerful power of the hero. Indeed, by pressing the X button, our adventurer can actually go back in time like the late Blinx of yesteryear. Consequently, a missed jump or the painful embrace of a monster in search of love will generally only have the effect of making you lose a few seconds.
Outside the first world, a kind of nice tutorial, the different levels only ask you time glues that you will have to overcome by using Tim's power. Depending on the situation and the rules specific to each level, reversing the flow of time will, for example, allow you to create a double, capable of reproducing your last movements and therefore helping you to overcome obstacles that require two actions to be performed at the same moment. You will also be able to take advantage of this famous power to create bubbles which will slow down time, and which once placed, will be used to dodge the rapid fire of badly placed guns, or even to slip quickly under a door which tended to close in a wink. Associated with all this are various objects with particular properties. We will learn that objects surrounded by a greenish halo are not subject to temporal alterations. Thus, a green key, once recovered, will remain in your mimines even if you go back in time. Same fight for certain moving platforms, whose trajectory will remain completely impossible to modify.
The riddles, even if they will often seem very convoluted, call only on your logic as well as on your capacity to project yourself forward to anticipate and deduce the sequence of events. Anyway, all show a rare intelligence and a real mastery in the development of levels. This results in real satisfaction for the player, when after having abutted for several minutes, the solution emerges, clear and limpid. The pleasure of overcoming these rich and subtle puzzles is particularly intense, but it is true that Braid clearly runs the risk of offending the least patient players. The others, on the other hand, will enjoy a trip as fascinating as it is rewarding.
Unfortunately, the trip will still seem very short. Because unless you stumble on the puzzles, finish the game will not take more than a few hours. And once each riddle is unlocked and ruthlessly overcome, there will be little point in going through the game again, except perhaps for those who love success, who want to finish Braid in less than an hour. Some players, few in number, will nevertheless enjoy browsing the game again, in the light of a supremely destabilizing final. But for the vast majority of players, the lifespan will still seem a little bit limited, especially when we see that the game still costs 1,200 Microsoft points, or nearly 15 euros. Braid, however, is well worth the detour, as it renews the stale air of Xbox Live Arcade. Thin, beautiful, intelligent, offering complex game mechanics without becoming elitist, Braid surprises and fascinates.
The notes
Graphics 15/20
Yes, technically, the game is far from being a stallion. However, the whole game benefits from an extremely marked artistic dimension. The decorations are superb and give the impression of evolving in a gigantic watercolor. The tones are well chosen, oscillate from ocher to green and pass into a cottony white associated with dreams. The shadows flicker and give life to the darkest pictures. The whole, which we owe to the designer David Hellman, thus acquires a strong identity and a unique atmosphere.
Gameplay 17/20
Braid is a real lesson in level-design. Everything is under control, adjusted to the millimeter and the player will therefore have no difficulty sliding into this universe. Time control allows you to see each puzzle in a completely different light. The only difficulty will come from your ability to harness the power of heroes.
Lifespan 10/20
It all depends on how easy you are to solve the puzzles. Anyway, the 6 worlds of Braid are unfortunately not very long. And once the software is finished for the first time, most players will find no reason to return. Others, however, are sure to immerse themselves in this magical world, for success, or simply to indulge in a careful re-reading of Tim's curious story.
Soundtrack 16/20
The music, dominated by cellos, contributes greatly to the bewitching atmosphere of Braid. The themes, often lyrical, fit perfectly with the different environments offered. All in all, there is a lot of melancholy. So do not expect perky music, in line with Mario and other platform games.
Scenario 15/20
Tim's quest to find his princess takes advantage of an adult narrative and turns out to be much more complex than it seems at first glance. History often accumulates ambiguities and pays homage to certain well-known games, while gently scratching them in passing. Again, Braid stands out from the competition and offers us a breath of originality.
Braid is a captivating, unique and poetic title. The adventure he offers is perfectly mastered whatever the point of view adopted. The gameplay is precise, intelligent and does not suffer from any real defect. Braid solicits neurons much more than reflexes, but he does it brilliantly, never sinking into the trap of an outrageous difficulty or a condescending ease. Braid is a mature title, which will not please everyone, if only by the melancholy that emerges from its different paintings and music. Finally, even if the software is brilliant, its originality, its short lifespan and its price a little too high (but incontestably justified) will undoubtedly prevent it from reaching a large audience. But it is obvious that those who take the step after downloading the trial version will not regret it.
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